hello!

Thanks for visiting! I'm Alicia, the author of this blog, and I love sharing bits of our life here and on social media. Back in 2008, when my oldest was only a month old, I started Making Time For Mommy as a way to make time for myself and meet other moms. I hope this blog encourages you to make time for yourself, gives you ideas for family fun, and provides easy tips you can incorporate into your busy life!

Our family lives in the Chicago suburbs and I'm the mom of three kids. My 10 year old, Jacob, is my smart and funny sports player who also loves listening to and playing music. Lucas, who is 9 years old, is my sweet and cuddly dancer and Special Olympian gymnast (who also happens to be on the Autism Spectrum). Emma Noelle, our youngest, was born in December 2018 and we couldn't be more excited to welcome this sweet little girl into our family.

When we are not at a sports game or practice, our family loves to have movie & game nights and explore the Midwest on day-trips together. My favorite things include the beach, to-do lists, traveling, football, and meals by the water.

If you want to chat you can reach out to me on Twitter (@aliciamarie112) or email (makingtimeformommy@gmail.com). I love connecting with other moms!

recent posts:

This post is sponsored by Torani but all opinions are mine. Summer is (unofficially) here and that means warm weather and doing anything I can to avoid turning the oven on. I’m a huge fan of no-bake desserts anyway since I like to keep things simple in my kitchen. Plus, since it’s “May-cember” (aka the [Read On]

Thanks to Grizzly Jack’s for hosting my family for a weekend stay and for making my Mother’s Day special. All thoughts are my own. A couple weekends ago my mom and I took my three kids to Utica, Illinois for a memorable Mother’s Day weekend celebration at Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort. Grizzly Jack’s is [Read On]

This post is brought to you by Remake Learning Days and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own. Today I’m excited to share about Remake Learning Days Across America and the special events happening around the country, including here in Chicago, this weekend. From Remake Learning (which began in 2007), the festival Remake Learning Days was [Read On]

When my boys were younger it was so simple to figure out how to spend a sunny spring day together as a family. Now that my oldest kids are tweens, those afternoons spent together seem to happen less these days. Between sports and school activities and electronics, “time with mom” has been bumped down on [Read On]

Happy National Small Business Week! Did you know that more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business? I had no idea! As a small business owner myself, I wanted to celebrate by featuring other small businesses that are owned by moms (it is Mother’s Day week after all). Whether you [Read On]

This post contains affiliate and referrral links but I’m not linking to anything I don’t use and love. It’s a rainy day here in Chicago so I thought I’d brighten it up by sharing about all of the things I’m loving this spring season! Number one on my list is sunny, warm days lol :) [Read On]

I had someone call me a parenting “expert” before and I had to laugh. I don’t know if it’s because I have a parenting blog, I’ve spoken at parenting conferences, or because I had more than one child, but let me just start by saying I’m not an expert. I’m just a mom who has been there, done that and I’m still learning how to be successful at this parenting thing. I think I could be one of those tv moms with a couple dozen kids and still not be an expert because every child is so different! While I’m not an expert though, having just left the newborn stage with my third child means I do have a few tricks and tips I’ve discovered that have worked for our family.

This post contains affiliate links. Emma was born at the end of December so she hasn’t spent a whole lot of time outside in the short three and a half months she’s been alive. Now that the weather is getting nicer I’m trying to get outside with her on a daily basis. Most of the [Read On]

This post contains affiliate links. Food waste is a serious issue in the United States. I wish I could say that my family hasn’t been contributing to the problem but that would be a lie. I’m embarrased by the amount of food that we’ve thrown away over the years. I’m on a mission to reduce [Read On]

This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own. My children’s favorite summers have been the ones when they attended day camp while I worked. They loved making new friends, playing all day, and spending hours outside. If you are still thinking about what to do with your kids this summer I’d encourage [Read On]

Earth Day is just a couple weeks away so I thought it would be fun to share some ideas of ways to celebrate Earth Day as a family. Whether you have toddlers, preschoolers, elementary-aged children, or teens, here are some ways to get your whole family involved in celebrating this place we call home. Make [Read On]

This post contains affiliate links. Now that I’m a girl mom I can finally buy all the adorable girly accessories I’ve always wanted to. The problem I ran into was: how am I going to store all these baby girl bows?! We live in a tiny place and Emma just has a makeshift nursery so [Read On]

Today is World Autism Awareness Day (or Autism Acceptance Day to some though you can read why I’m sticking with “awareness” for now). As a mom of a child on the Autism Spectrum, every day is Autism Awareness Day in our home but I appreciate those that spend this month trying to learn a bit [Read On]

This post is sponsored by Galileo Camps but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. The kids are just back to school, after a week off for spring break, and I’m already thinking about summer. Each year I try to pick one or two experiences that I think will benefit my kids and [Read On]

This post contains affiliate links. Emma turned three months old yesterday! I feel like that time flew by (while at the same time thinking about how long each day sometimes seems to be…) Now that she is officially out of the newborn phase I wanted to share about some of our favorite things that got [Read On]

This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own. More than 1 million children were victims of identity theft or fraud last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. ONE MILLION last year alone and two-thirds of those victims were 7 years old or younger. I was shocked to learn these statistics, mostly because I hadn’t really [Read On]

Now that I have a little one again we have been listening to a lot of lullabies. When my boys were younger I had lullaby CDs so we listened to the same songs over and over again. Nowadays, I typically tell Alexa to play baby lullabies when it’s time for Emma’s morning or afternoon nap [Read On]

It took a while to find the perfect sport for Lucas to participate in. He tried football but would meltdown every time the team intercepted the ball because, no matter how many times we explained the rules, he was convinced they were cheating by taking the ball. Soccer games were spent running around the edges [Read On]

Thanks to ECOVACS for sponsoring this post. I love discovering new products that make my life easier so I was excited when ECOVACS invited me back for a second year to check out all the innovative products they were showcasing at the International Home & Housewares Show (IHHS). Their smart cleaning solutions reduce chore-induced stress [Read On]

This Saturday, March 2nd, is Read Across America Day so I wanted to share some reading resources, tips to help your children develop a love of reading, ideas for a Dr. Seuss party, and even an awesome freebie ($40 value)! Early literacy has been a cause that’s been really important to me since my college [Read On]

Cats do tend to sleep a lot (almost as much as my newborn!) but I also wanted to see them be more active and playful. I learned about the the Purina ONE® 28-Day Challenge and it sounded perfect for my cats. The challenge encourages people to try switching their pet’s food to Purina ONE® and suggests that pet owners can see visible differences with Purina ONE® in just 28 days!

One of the hardest things about being a mom is that we don’t really get any days off, even when we are not feeling well and could really use a “sick day”. Instead, we have to get through the day the best we can and consider ourselves lucky if we find a few minutes of rest while our children are at school, napping or otherwise occupied. I wanted to share a few ways that I make it through the day when I’m under the weather and hopefully these tips can help you the next time you are sick.

Have you ever walked through the aquarium and wondered what life is like for the fishes when they don’t have hundreds of eyes on them? The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is giving families an opportunity to answer this question by observing the animal behavior that takes place after hours during their Asleep with the Fishes [Read On]

Thanks to Big Blue Swim School for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts are my own. Having tried out swim lessons at about a dozen places, I’m amazed at how different swim lesson programs can be. Considering all the options that are available to families I thought it would be helpful to put together [Read On]

This gift guide contains affiliate links and some samples were received but all thoughts are my own and I’ve only included items I personally recommend. Looking for that perfect gift to give a mom-to-be at the next baby shower you attend? I’m sharing some of my favorite picks, including some you might not think about [Read On]

This is a sponsored post. Calling all parents of children and tweens who LOVE slime…. Maddie Rae’s Slime Bash Chicago! The World’s Largest Slime Convention is Chicago bound. Created by Maddie Rae, a 13-year-old entrepreneur who launched Maddie Rae’s Slime Glue, this is one slime-tastic event that is not to be missed. This two day event will [Read On]

With Valentine’s Day coming up in a couple weeks I’m thinking about date nights and sweet gifts so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share some ideas that combine both! Giving a gift basket that has a date night activity is a thoughtful gift that shows your loved ones that you value time [Read On]

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com. Having just had my third child over nine years after the birth of my second one, I feel like there are so many new products on the market so I was excited to receive BabbleBoxx’s New Mom, New Year box full of essentials. Read on to learn about my favorite [Read On]

The Handfuls of Love campaign that I shared about last year is back! I’m excited to spread the news about this easy, free way to help brighten Valentine’s Day for a child in the hospital. Just imagine the young child’s face when they receive your message! Participating is as easy as going to their website, [Read On]

Football games are the perfect excuse to throw a party! Fans will not want to miss a minute of the game which is why food bars make the perfect food choice. Not only are they pretty easy to setup and require minimal cooking, but most of the prep can be done ahead of time so [Read On]

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